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David Parmelee's novel "The Sea Is a Thief" features Chincoteague during the Civil War

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Sunbury Press has released David Parmelee’s first novel “The Sea Is a Thief.”

The Sea is a Thief

About the Book:
“The Sea is a Thief” is set on Chincoteague, Virginia during the Civil War. It tells the story of a dangerous courtship between Sam Dreher, a young Union sailor on a gunship sent to protect the island, and Anna Daisey, a Chincoteague girl whose gifts as a wildlife artist are beginning to blossom. By the time a jealous rival exposes the clandestine romance, their love has grown so strong that they ignore an approaching gale to steal one last day together before a long enforced separation, narrowly cheating death.

As the war rages, Anna awaits her sailor’s return, refining the artistic skills passed on to her by her mentor, the island’s reclusive medicine woman. Sam must fight his way back; stranded behind Confederate lines and injured terribly, he survives by stealth, courage, and a most fortunate encounter with the Underground Railroad. Over the course of years the two are reunited to rekindle their love.

Students come to know the American Civil War as series of political events: debates, campaigns, and battles won or lost. The Sea is a Thief offers a new perspective from the dusty lanes and muddy channels of an oystering island in Virginia, chronicling its effects on a captivating local crew of hardy watermen, rogue hunters, moonshiners and merchants. At the center of the storm stand an unlikely young couple who desire only to love each other in peace.

Of course, the beloved wild ponies of Chincoteague play a central role.